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Date added: 09/12/1974
Special Remedy For Athletes Foot Problems

Peer into this creepy-looking shoe store at 209 Mitchell Street, and it's hard to believe that the likes of Willie Mays, Maynard Jackson and Magic Johnson regularly shop here.

The fading window display of the store hasn't changed in 20 years. There are no mirrors, no chrome, no track lighting- but the atmosphere inside is infectious.

Friedman's Shoe Store has been attracting customers to the same address since 1930 when Phillip Friedman first opened the store selling used shoes, said current owner Bruce Teilhaber, Friedman's son-in-law.

Without ever spending one dime on advertising, Friedman's has become a name synonymous with fine footwear, attracting the famous and the adventurous to downtown Atlanta's Mitchell Street.

Friedman's sold more than 30,000 pairs of shoes last year, and traffic through the dimly lit store is so heavy that the Atlanta police raided the shop thinking that the shoe buyers were participating in the numbers racket. "There were six policeman," Teilhaber remembered, "after they didn't find anything, four of them bought shoes."

Patrons in the store said that Teilhaber's honest and open attitude toward shoe-selling is their primary attraction. He has perfected the bare-bones, utilitarian approach to merchandising.

Shoppers must wind upward through a dusty maze of more than forty thousand cardboard boxes full of shoes, which line the walls of the 17,000 square-foot store. On the third level, they come face-to-face with largest selection of mens' sizes 15s through 22s in the country, Teilhaber said.

"When customers first look in here, they think somebody must've told them a joke. I've got bars on the windows, and you've got to go up two flights just to get waited on. It amazes them," Teilhaber said.

Layers of autographed 8-by-10s of famous athletes and entertainers cover the walls of the 1800s building. Johnny Bench and Frank Robinson dropped off baseball jerseys for Teilhaber's "Wall of Fame," on past shopping sprees.

"We went after these guys back in the 60s. I had a friend with Clemson University, Bill Mathis who later went to the New York Jets. He had shopped here when he was in college and after that he brought in players like (Joe) Namath," Teilhaber said. "Athletes are a real close-knit group and all of my business since has come from referrals."

Last week, prior to the ACC Tournament game, Wake Forest University player Kenny Green said that the first time he saw the store that he didn't want to go in.

But he likes it now. "This place is awesome, I've never seen so many shoes in my size (15)."

Variety is the key, Teilhaber said.

"We provide a round-robin of shoes, from the most conservative to high fashion. Most men who wear over a size 11 have only had two or three styles of shoes to choose from, until they come here, where we have thousands" said Harvey Kronitz, longtime salesman at Friedman's.

Customer service is also very important, Teilhaber said.

Jim Perry, a three-year shoe salesman, briefly interrupted unpacking crates of shoes to take an order long-distance from Atlanta mayor, Maynard Jackson. "He's in his Chicago office, but he knows that I know his style. Maynard likes only capped-toe, lace-ups in black, navy blue and brown. He likes business-like shoes," Perry said. "All my salesman have call-in-clients. We get to know our customers," Teilhaber said.

"Worldwide, shoe manufacturers know Friedman's because of the specialized clientele they serve," Stephen Fuchs, president of New York-based Fratelli Shoes Inc., said by phone. Fratelli is a major shoe manufacturer that uses 18 different factories to custom design shoes for Friedman's. "I come there (to Friedman's) about three times a year and I love it. The whole concept is unique."

Sporting a necklace with a solid gold shoe on it, Teilhaber showed off an exclusive line of ostrich and alligator skin shoes that retail for around $450 a pair. Shoe prices range from $30 to $450 in mens' sizes 6-22.

"We're not in the $12.99 business. We sell good quality shoes for 30-50 percent less because of low overhead and no advertising expense," Teilhaber said. Shoes that regularly retail for $100-$140 sell at Friedman's for $65-$75, he said.

Teilhaber has owned the building that houses Friedman's Shoes since 1955. He recently purchased another building six doors down Mitchell Street at 223, where he operates a shoe store for women. Friedman's operates a third shoe store (for both men and women) at 4340 Roswell Rd in Buckhead.

Teilhaber has been credited by downtown preservationists with keeping retailing alive on Mitchell Street, which in its heyday was called the "thriftiest and most promising business district in Atlanta," according to a 1908 Atlanta Journal report. "We're not only surviving here, we're thriving," Teilhaber said of his 55 year-old business. Avoiding specifics, Teilhaber said his 1984 revenues were more than a couple of million dollars.

Other than installing central air conditioning at his 209 address, Teilhaber has no plans to relocate or rehabilitate his Mitchell Street buildings. "Friedman's will be on Mitchell Street forever, " he said, adding that he will renovate the buildings if the Mitchell Street block is redeveloped for other retailers. "Anything that would benefit Friedman's and Mitchell Street, I'm for it," he said.